I knew I wanted to review this book pretty much the moment I became a Smart Bitches reviewer. Which means I’ve been looking forward to it for a little more than a hot second, my excitement building as I waited until closer to the release date to read it, letting it gather metaphorical dust on my Kindle app because I didn’t want to read it too early. That’s a lot of expectations for a book … Continue reading Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert →
I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to get a little bit personal in this column. Since I began knitting about ten years ago, I’ve used the craft to address my anxiety. Specifically I have PTSD, and I’ve found that certain anxiety-combatting techniques, like mindfulness, don’t always work well for me when I’m feeling panicked: I’m already hyper vigilant during an anxiety episode due to the trauma part of PTSD. Being mindful often makes … Continue reading Knitting for Anxiety and Pain →
Awhile back I wrote a post on my journey to get a diagnosis for chronic pain, on being dismissed by the medical community at large and about how I relied heavily on romance novels during that time to cope with fear and depression. I’m doing much better in the three years since my diagnosis–partly due to prescription medication (formerly outrageously expensive prescription medication) and partly due to my having a better understanding and acceptance of … Continue reading Reading, Self-Care and Guilt →
I’ve been a fan of Jenny Lawson’s blog The Bloggess for a long time–she’s a truly funny writer who posts stories about her crazy childhood, her crazy adulthood, and balances them all with reflections on mental illness. Furiously Happy is the same way–it’s two parts humor and one part discussion of something that most people find hard to talk to about. It’s one of those rare books that makes you snort-laugh in public and also … Continue reading Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson →
